Series: Simply Complex
Message: Complex Faith
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Daily Walk: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Ask God for the understanding through the Holy Spirit.

Read: Genesis 23–24 (ESV). As you read the English Standard Version, note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: We come to the final chapters of this patriarch’s story. (Chapter 25 will recount the end of his life.) He is closer to God than ever before. He is still a nomad with no land, traveling and believing, ever growing in his complex faith. When Sarah dies in this foreign land, he does not really negotiate the price for the burial cave. Even with the best estimations he was paying anywhere between 100% to 1000% markup on the value. The Hittites saw a man in pain and I wonder if this was Abraham’s way of making peace with the way he had treated Sarah her entire life. At least now she is buried in site that is safe and worthy, he might have thought. 

Within three to four years after Sarah’s death, Abraham found a wife for his son Isaac and the chapter ends by introducing us to a new character called Rebekah who comforts Isaac. While we discover right away how Isaac feels about Rebekah, it will only be in the later chapters that we discover how she feels about Isaac.

The Bible is simply complex. 

Why do we wait until the end to say sorry? Why do we often only celebrate life at funerals when our loved ones have fallen asleep instead of when they are alive? Who in your life needs to know that you love them? Who in your life needs to know that you are sorry? What do you as parents today think of the “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” that your children bring home? What did your parents think when you came home with your current partner? Who would you pick for your children? Why would you pick that person? 

When we read the Bible, it is easy to think of it as an old storybook lost in time. Probably a tad bit barbaric. Sadly, the First Testament in particular, often referred to as the “Old” Testament, has been cited to portray a picture of God that makes Him appear like a detached, angry despot. I am a strong believer that as you look at this text, you will start to see that what appears pretty simple is deeply complex. The Creator of the universe has placed Himself on trial before us. This is incredibly risky. I don’t think we could ask for more. It really comes down to a simple question: Are we willing to engage in the journey toward discovering a complex faith?

Recalibrate: ​​​What have you thought was simple in life but has actually turned out to be complex?

Respond: Pray for the vision to embrace the complexity of the Bible.

Research: Read one of the recommended commentaries from the bibliography